When I Think of Research...

This course has enlightened me about research in numerous ways. One is how to formulate and devise a research design. I always had the notion that research was something you found in a book. But through this course I have found that research is conducting the study and finding resources that support your ideas of your topic.  While discovering different ways research happens I learned ways to determine the validity of sources used like websites and articles.  By examining authors and what ideas their content shares. My attitude towards research has changed in my thinking that it is a tedious process that only benefits the researchers.  But with the choice of topics you can research findings beneficial to participants and not harmful to their current states like people in poverty, or people who are ill. Assessing the risk and benefit factors of study is one of the biggest factors of research that I have learned when planning, designing, and conducting research for especially young children. My challenge in doing a research simulation was relatively close to this issue I was interested in the effects of poverty on children but wanted to determine this by not inflicting anymore despair. So as we continued on the lessons I continued to revise and settled on the perfect study to measure its effect on children.

Research Around the World

              I have become familiar with the Early Childhood Australia website over the past few courses. They have a plethora of information related to the early childhood profession. An abundance of the information correlate with some of the same instances here in America. One current topic the present information on “how learning takes place in the early years, how relationship building with students can guide behavior of young children, and then play and its implications for learning.

              An article on the site that spark interest was one regarding children of refugee families. They detailed the role of educators have in situations of displaced families. The author discussed how the portrayal asylum seekers in the media. I have had the discussion with providers on how children’s perceptions are shaped about different culture groups. Refugees would constitute as a cultural group with the connotations that follow them. The media can play a major role in the perception of children, along with teachers and community. “The construction of identity is complex. Young children seek to make meaning from their experiences.” (Dorman-Sparks et al, 2011). If one would examine the effects these situations have on young children and their development it would be astonishing. I would love to see what studies show on development of asylum seeking children versus poverty stricken children. Unfortunately both of these situations are causes of adult experiences and indirectly involve children.

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/

Derman-Sparks, L., Ramsey, P. G., & Edwards, J. O. (2011).  Anti-bias multicultural education with young children and families. New York: Teachers College Press. 224